Well, I spent lunch time today with a mischief minded person. This guy sits around all the time trying to figure out how to play another joke on some unsuspecting soul. He has pulled so many jokes on people in the past, that he lives his life always having to watch over his funny-boned shoulder, wondering who is going to try to get him back.
He started out in life as the jokester in his Sunday school class and carried it over to his grade school days. In high school he was always the head of this class -- in pulling pranks that is. As a young adult, he pulled jokes on his friends and family and as he has become part of the older generation he has slowed down a bit, but can still pull off some pretty good events. He is very, very careful when he pulls one of his pranks. He never wants to hurt anyone and safety is a real issue with him. He is also very careful to consider the end result, so it does not hurt the reputation of the person or bring embarrassment upon them.
His wife sometimes gets exhausted trying to figure him out on what is true and what is a joke and she has told him that he really needs to slow down but you know what -- I just won’t listen to her. Life is too short to be straight laced and mumble mouthed!
I “got out of town” today and went down the road a few miles to Panera Bread. I go there because it gives me a short drive time away from the office and allows me to clear my mind. Now I know most people would wonder why I would want some drive time, but I only live about four miles from the office so traveling at lunch gives me a short relief from the pressure of office work.
As I was sitting in the café I glanced over a short wall next to my table and saw the profile of a lady I thought I knew. The glare of the window was in a position that I had to readjust my line of sight and lo and behold, there was my Aunt Gladys Dale and Uncle Marvin Dale having lunch. It was out of character for me to see them during lunch, because they were about as far away or maybe a little further from their home as I was from my office. I was surprised to see them and between bites of my sandwich I began to evaluate my situation. They were located at a two person table with no extra chair and I was at the same kind of table. There were people crowded near them, so I knew that if I went over to their table right away it would be a major move, because I had already spread some reading material on my own table and was already into my meal. I decided to just wait and go greet them after I finished. Then my mind started working in a devious fashion.
Uncle Marvin Dale is my mentor when it comes to being happy go lucky and pulling jokes. I have learned from some of the best and he is one of them. Perhaps I thought, I could toss a balled up napkin at their table and then stay hidden behind this wall? No, not good. Maybe I could call out his name in the middle of the café making him have to look around to find me? No. I know! Maybe I can have the manager come tell them they needed to move tables or maybe I could heavily tip the bus boy and have him just start removing their plates out from under them? Man, what can I do? I finally took a low keyed, high tech approach. I just texted and asked “how’s your salad” because that is what Aunt Gladys Dale was eating.
Well, the next thing I know they were walking out the door before I could finish my sandwich. Eventually they answered my text and I caught them in the parking lot as they were moving down the driveway. I watched Uncle Marvin Dale turn left, when he should have turned right. I saw him drive around in the parking lot like an aimless wanderer in the desert. He was probably receiving directions from Aunt Gladys Dale. I was right behind him in my truck when he finally got straightened out and headed down Spring Cypress probably headed to Wal Mart (they’re retired). He turned one way and I turned the other. I had to go back to work. He probably went to take a nap.
Clifford
